All For You
by BlackCatHikari
Summary: A songifc inspired by John Elton's Your Song. A few snapshots of Arthur and Merlin's life together in and around Camelot. Friendfic, slash if you squint.
1. Don't Have Much Money

"_All For You"_

RATING: At this point, T. Probably won't change.

SUMMARY: A songifc inspired by John Elton's _Your Song_. A few snapshots of Arthur and Merlin's life together in and around Camelot. Friendfic, slash if you squint.

MUSIC: _Your Song, _John Elton

WORDS: 699

* * *

_It's a little bit funny this feeling inside.  
I'm not one of those who can easily hide.  
_

"Mer_lin!_ Get in here now!"

Cringing, Merlin turned and stepped back through the only recently-closed door to face his prattiness the Prince of Camelot.

"Yes?"

Arthur frowned. "That's 'yes, Sire,' to you." Then, as if awoken from the brief interruption, the frown was replaced with a scowl. "And what the _hell_ kind of breakfast is this! Bread and cheese and- and that _slop_ you dare to call porridge?" Expression irritable, he gave the tray of food one last glare before pushing it across the table towards Merlin, the rough planks of the table impeding the otherwise-petulant gesture slightly. "Take it back."

'_Should I… No,' _Merlin considered, tossing away the idea of walking out of the room as if to exchange it and then magicking the food to a better standard while out of Arthur's view. "Sire," he began, hoping the subservient tone would make an impression – the raised eyebrow he got in return said maybe not – "we're in an inn in a country town somewhere on the border of Cenred's kingdom. Not only would the people here not have anything better to spare, using your… _position_ to try and gain any preferential treatment would be unwise."

By the end of Merlin's impromptu speech Arthur was blinking in astonishment. "You know, I think that all that studying with Gaius is starting to pay off. That sounded _almost_ smart." He took another look at the tray of food, hesitancy and disgust written all over his face. "Are you sure there's no other option?"

"Quite." Merlin grinned and quickly tore a piece off the corner of the prince's hunk of bread.

Arthur gaped, then stood and took a swipe at Merlin's head with an angry expression. "What do you think you're—"

Merlin grinned as he dodged. "I thought you didn't want it?" Taking a bite out of the admittedly tougher-than-normal bread he interrupted Arthur with a mumbled, "S'not bad. Besides-" Seeing Arthur's look he swallowed before continuing, "Besides, the amount of coin that would be needed to buy a breakfast such as the one you're craving would be far beyond what two travellers from Mercia would be expected to be able to pay out for one morning's food."

There was silence for a minute as Arthur considered Merlin's words and Merlin carefully watched Arthur for signs that he was going to attack him again, but the warlock relaxed when he finally saw Arthur's shoulders slump in resignation. "There really is no other choice, is there?" He asked resignedly.

"Nope," Merlin replied with excessive cheer and a wide grin.

Arthur sighed as he slumped back onto the bench and pulled the tray of food back towards him again, taking the first mouthful of 'porridge' with a grimace.

Merlin moved to leave, his arms still full of the armour that he had originally been going to clean before he was dragged back. "Trust me _Sire_," he threw over his shoulder, "if I could I'd buy you your own little inn in every town between here and Camelot so that you wouldn't have to suffer the _pitiable_ food like all us mere mortals do, but I'm afraid the pay I get for attending to your every whim isn't large enough for that." A cheeky grin lit his face as he turned at the door to face his prince. "If however you'd like to spare some gold—"

Habit and long practice had Merlin ducking through the door right as the fork Arthur had thrown hit the wall where his head had been a moment earlier.

As Merlin continued down the hall, whistling merrily while he considered whether he could be bothered to do Arthur's armour by hand or not, and Arthur got back to eating his breakfast – which honestly wasn't _as_ bad as he'd been making out – neither saw the genuine smile that escaped onto the face of the other as soon as they were out of sight.

But then, they didn't need to.

_I don't have much money but boy if I did,  
I'd buy a big house where we both could live._


	2. A Man who Makes Potions

"_All For You"_

RATING: At this point, T. Probably won't change.

SUMMARY: A songifc inspired by John Elton's _Your Song_. A few snapshots of Arthur and Merlin's life together in and around Camelot. Friendfic, slash if you squint.

MUSIC: _Your Song, _John Elton

WORDS: 459

* * *

_If I was a sculptor, but then again, no  
Or a man who makes potions in a travelling show_

"Gaius!"

There was a bang, causing Gaius to drop the potion he had been working on, then Merlin was stumbling through the now-open doorway, Arthur slung over one shoulder.

"What happened this time?" Gaius asked with a worried look and rather resigned sigh.

"Poison, I think," Merlin muttered as he lowered Arthur onto the bed. "We were in the forest on one of those stupid haunting trips of his, when we were attacked. Probably bandits, considering Arthur was in plain clothes. Still-" Merlin winced as he leaned on his left arm, a fact that didn't pass by Gaius, as he leant over Arthur to pull at the ties of his tunic. "Still, one of them got a lucky hit in while he was fighting, and I think that the dagger might have been poisoned."

"Has he a fever?" Gaius asked as he puttered around, collecting herbs for cleansing and healing from the shelves. "If he doesn't, then we should have more time to work out what's wrong."

Merlin lay the back of his hand against Arthur's forehead, then nodded. "Just. He didn't have one before, I know that. He was more lucid before too, occasionally stirring and muttering things."

"A slow acting poison, then," Gaius mumbled as he grabbed one last pot, before moving to kneel beside the bed. "It's best that we get the wound cleaned up. I won't be able to tell what poison it is until the symptoms start showing up or I get a sample to test, so you might as well make yourself useful and finish the potion I was making when you interrupted."

Giving his prince one last worried glance, Merlin stood and moved pick up where Gaius had left off. He had only gotten a couple of steps before he was stopped by Gaius's gentle voice.

"Cheer up Merlin. You do your work, I'll do mine and Arthur will be up and ordering you about as usual before you know it."

A small smile stretched across the warlock's face, grateful for Gaius's encouragement, as he picked up the book the old man had been working from and tried to work out what he had to do next. Gaius was right: he really shouldn't worry so much. Arthur had the best physician in the kingdom tending to him. Besides, if that didn't work, there was always magic as a backup.

For his Prince, there wasn't much that Merlin _wouldn't _do. No matter how big or small the task required of him was.

_I know it's not much but it's the best I can do  
My gift is my song and this one's for you_


End file.
